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What Does “Apocryphal” Mean in the Bible?

An ancient book about Jesus or the saints that is not part of the Bible.

It can mean

  1. An example: the Protoevangelium of James, where the names of Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, come from.
  2. Who decides: the Tradition of the apostles helped the Church recognize which books make up the Bible. That list is called the “canon.”
  3. How many: the Bible has 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.

Source: RAE, “apócrifo”; Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Apocrypha”; Catechism 120 and 138

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